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This episode is really worth watching. Ash loses to a "experienced trainer" with 98 wins. Is that too much to get over? You just have to see what AJ's response is: "Stop whining kid. Nobody wants to compete against a crybaby." Ash bickering with AJ about his loss with him is just too much to laugh at. A loss is a loss, so let's move on to reality people!

I thought this was a great eposide. I didn't like how he treated his pokemon at all. However, his pokemon like him, and were stronger. I thought it was funny when Team Rocket stole sandshrew instead of pikahcu.

Awwww, I had forgotten about this episode! D: I do remember it well, now that I think about it. I loved Sandshrew in this episode. Before I watched this, I used to dislike Sandshrew, but now -just seeing the bond between AJ & Sanshrew- I love it! <3 I was so glad that he got his 100th win, I felt happy for him. I didn't like when insulted Misty & Brock, thought, But I found it funny that they took it harshly. Haha.
I also remember that it was the first time that TR got mixed up between Pikachu & Sandshrew. Lol. Memories~

I was bored and decided to rewatch this since I have a copy of the JP ep on hand(hence all my comments about the JP voices and such) Don't expect me to review all of Kanto or anything, but I figured that while I was watching this...

-I'm not used to Misty's Japanese voice. At all. And Ash sounds higher-pitched than he does nowadays(subtle maturing?). Brock just sounds...off.
-Ash is SO impressed by his TWO badges. I suspect that most of Ash's Kanto behavior is even more hilarious in retrospect(wow! I got two badges out of the 340976456 I'll get in the future!!) than it was in the first runthrough.
-The term "pity badge" is Misty's fault! I KNEW IT!
-This is probably the only ep of the entire series where we see trainers randomly battling each other just because "we're trainers! BATTLING IS WHAT WE DO". I guess showing Ash randomly challenging people to battles would get old, but you think they'd acknowledge that (rather MAJOR) part of the games more often/at all.
-This is also the only ep where we see a battle take place in the middle of...farm fields. Oh Kanto and your "hey, this could conceivably be the real world other than the magical animals" moments.
-Unofficial gyms(and not just "TR pretending to run a gym for a scam") are a concept I wish the writers would revisit in the anime nowadays. Not that AJ's was anything special, but things like the Yaz/Kaz gyms from later in Kanto could provide entertaining filler material, at the least.
-I just realized that Akai/AJ is based on the Tamers from RBYFRLG. It's probably not coincidental that we stopped seeing that trainer class as the franchise started treating Pokemon less as animals and more as sentient beings.
-Old recycled Pokeball throwing animation! How I missed you! (not)
-It's really weird seeing Ash be so COCKY, compared to his Shinou self. I guess that's what they call "character development", even though it seems like Pokemon almost never has that with Ash/Brock/TR anymore.
-Hey, this is one of the three eps where Pidgeotto got to do something! Sure, it didn't get to do things for very long, but Ash sent it out with the intent of having it battle another Pokemon, and that's what counts.
-The writers are so close to caring about type advantage, and yet so far.
-Ahahaha Akai's little training camp is HILARIOUS. The secret to strength? CIRCUS TRICKS.
-Bahahahaha! Sure Akai, having three Rattata headbutt Sandshrew around like a soccer ball is TOTALLY intense training. *snicker*
-Meowth sounds REALLY weird. I guess everyone's bound to sound a bit weird since this IS only the eighth episode of the series, but...
-I have to say, I forgot how wacky Kanto could be. I still prefer Shinou's attempts at having coherent, high-quality(for a children's cartoon, at least) continuing plot lines, though.
-WHO'S THAT POKEMON DARE DA? ...It's Sandshrew, dingbat!
-Haha, Kanto Ash is a JERK.
-Oh yes, TR in the "wear pink rubber gloves to prevent Pikachu from shocking us" days.
-Kanto Ash is still a jerk. "Hey everybody~ Why don't you leave Akai and be MY POKEMON?!" All while Akai is RIGHT THERE.
-It's the original TR motto! ...which sounds super-weird to me, since I'm used to the dub Kanto-Johto motto(and the Houen & Shinou Japanese mottos).
-Fissure? Even now we basically NEVER see OHKO moves in action(even though it'd be easy enough for the writers to ignore the "OHKO" part of the move description). Even here, Fissure just makes a GIGANTIC EFFING CRACK IN THE GROUND. Dangerous for anything that falls in? Yes. Assumed one-hit knockout? No.
-Oh Akai. Beating TR hardly counts as a win(even if this is early enough in Kanto that JJ&M are still semi-serious villains)
-So Akai's just going to leave a giant tent & wooden wall in the middle of the woods? Yeah, there'll be a whole lot of that left to come back to after the eternity it takes to become a POKEMON MASTER.
-LALALA I'M NOT HEARING YOU MAKE EMPTY PROMISES ABOUT MEETING AT THE LEAGUE LALALA
-Worst. Ending. Animation. Ever. (bounce that Pokeball, Pikachu!)

A fun little visit to Nostalgia Valley, especially since I really did forget all the wacky random moments Kanto had. That said, I'm glad that the series grew out of this style of episode(even if it had major growing pains in the form of Johto). It's cute for a while, but I'm not sure I'd still be watching the show if it was still "haha, Pikachu's making funny faces! Haha, Ash is a braggart! Haha, slapstick is the height of comedy!" all the time. (that said, I wouldn't mind a few more comedic Shinou eps(aka "Barry showing up more often"). Comedic eps tend to be full-on hilarious when they happen nowadays.)

I disliked Ash's attitude aswell as AJ's attitude in this episode. The whole overconfident Ash thing in early Kanto just bugged me. Ash thought his training methods were better and AJ thought being rough was the way to go; well, neither were the best to be honest. I'm glad Ash grew out of his "jerk" stage though, and seeing him battle a tough Sandshrew and have trouble against it was a great way for him to learn. Interesting episode though, 5/10.

Because of this episode, I thought Sandshrew was one of the strongest Pokemon, and a lot of my friends wanted one in their teams, cuz it was so "powerful". The anime really is the best way to promote Pokemon.

Man, that Fissure really left a mark. I have to wonder how they fixed the field after that battle.
AJ's Pokemon were really powerful, but just because he was running them ragged with training. I find it incredible that Sandshrew was so happy being with him, especially when it escaped Team Rocket and immediately tunneled its way back to the "gym."

I'm glad to see I'm not the only who questioned AJ's training methods. What bewilders me is how the writers tried to make it seem like he was in the right and that Ash was wrong to judge him. His Sandshrew was clearly jumping out of the pool and spinning himself dry and AJ was whipping him for it. Maybe his Pokemon are masochists.

I would have loved to see this guy get a loss from Team Rocket and breakdown, learning that his arrogance and abuse didn't work as well as he thought, but apparently Ash is the only one who has to learn lessons. The rivals can be as cocky and abusive as they want.

I thought that AJ was too hard on Sandshrew when I first saw this episode. I thought it was mean of him to make Sandshrew swim since it was weak to water. Now though, I don't AJ's training methods one bit. I don't know why, I just tend to like jerkish trainers a lot. ^_^

The episode was really funny, though. I loved how Pikachu tried to lift weights with Sandshrew, but failed. I also liked Ash's long nose and how he got shocked when he tried to pull Pikachu away from the sidelines to battle.

I liked the A.J. character, it sort of made it a little bit more realistic. People would have wanted to create their own Gyms so it does make sense.
I completely agree with Bainca~, this episode was really boring, only Team Rocket made it slightly fun to watch. I understand they were trying to give a moral lesson about 'over-working', but they just made it boring to watch. And what is it with Ash trying to fight and getting in the pool with A.J. -_-' Fissure was cool to see though. o.o
All this episode did was portray just how annoying Ash is.